America's First Hospital

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Profile America -- Tuesday, February 11th. - Among his very many achievements, Benjamin Franklin played a leading role in the founding of America's first hospital, decades before the Declaration of Independence. Together with Dr. Thomas Bond, he obtained a charter for a hospital to serve the poor, sick and insane in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Hospital opened on this date in 1752 in a converted house. The hospital later developed at a location where a modern medical complex still serves the city. During its long history, the hospital's doctors have made advances in many fields, becoming known as "the father" of both American psychiatry and also of surgery. Today, there are more than 6,500 hospitals in the U.S., employing over 5.5 million people. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at www.census.gov.